Silhouettes
by shadow0015
Summary: A songfic about the past of Amberlee to Silhouettes. That about sums it up...


**AN**- Just a few quick notes… Amber means precious jewel and Lee means sheltered from the storm… look it up. :-), I wrote this a long time ago…okay, three months and I didn't know where I'd put it…I decided it would be a great one-shot.

Also, Amberlee's sword has a strange ability (one I kinda stole for Arthurian Lore) and it's light weight in her possession but not in anyone else's...sword in the stone thing.

**Music**- Belongs to Smile Empty Soul...it's called Silhouettes.

**Firilya**- This is for you…the bestest Amberlee fan that I have…I think you'll understand her a lot better after this brief history. And don't forget…I'm your biggest fan. Laterz.

**Silhouettes: Songfic about Amberlee's childhood**

**_Silhouettes above the cradle hold me down  
They won't let me go the wrong way_**

She was born on a rainy day in a valley filled with the sun…she was born into the world the way she would be for the rest of her life, serene, allay and most pertinent to her mother and father she was, quiet…this was her most important characteristic.

"Celeste," her father's voice was jagged and marred by exhaustion, "She everything I wanted in a child." He said as he held her up for inspection. She was fair, as much so as her Moon Elven mother but her pale skin seem to glow. She had a small patch of scraggly black hair sitting on the front of her head falling into her blue eyes. Icy blue eyes. She cooed as she made eye contact with her father for the first time in her life.

"She looks just like you, dear," he said as he handed her back. The babe didn't want to return, she felt a certain safety in that man's arms…nothing could hurt her in them, she'd be protected. Always.

"Little…what shall we call her," Celeste said as she attempt to restrain the now fussy baby.

"She's a precious little jewel…born in a storm…" her father said as he stroked his brown goatee.

"Amber…lee," her mother said weakly losing the battle to her child and handing her back to her father.

Amberlee relaxed in his strong arms, cradled from the storm, "My precious jewel shelter from the storm…it's a name perfect for you."

"What about her middle name?" her mother said, "My culture names them after where they are born…"

"The Valley of the sun…Gayora…Amberlee Gayora Alagondar. My first born," He said as she fell asleep in his arms as the raindrops fell over her singing a lullaby in her innocent ears…

**_My mother taught me all the fables, told me how  
In the end all the sinners have to pay  
But... _**

Amberlee grew in size and mind as her family trekked the surface for priceless treasure and trinkets of the past…this was her school and it was to be her profession. Soon they had come full circle to the valley that she was named after…

"AM-BER-LEE GAY-O-RA," the voice of her mother rang through the valley as the young six year old danced through the flowers, "I swear if you get lost again…I'll leave you to fend for yourself."

The long haired girl stopped waltzing in the flora and ran on the trail to catch up with her mother, "Where we goin'." She asked inquisitively.

"Where **are** we go-**ing**?" Her mother corrected as she picked petals from the gangly girl's stringy hair.

"That's what I wanna know," she said looking up at her fair-faced mother.

Her mother sighed, "Your father has found a cave that he believes a great dragon once inhabited."

"Oh…what's a dragon," she asked as she put a piece of her hair in her mother.

"Don't put your hair in your mouth…" her mother said as she swatted her hand from the tendril.

"I know where it's been though." Amberlee argued.

"I don't care it's not ladylike."

"Oh…what's a dragon," she said spitting out the hair.

"Dragons are…" she sighed again this one was thought-filled, "They are big lizards…but they have wings and are very intelligent. We believe…"

"Who's we," the girl asked.

"WE is everyone."

"We…everyone." Amberlee repeated.

"Right. We believe that dragons waged a great war with the Gods to…"

"What's gods?" She interrupted again.

"Gods are supreme beings…so they…"

"If they are supreme how can there be more than one…" Amberlee asked as she wrapped her hair around her index fingers.

"They're…they just are…okay."

"Okay…dragons and gods fight…so who wonned?"

"The Gods always win…the dragons were defeated and their place as the head over all was retracted."

"Re…"

"Taken away."

"Oh…they are probably angry," Amberlee said in a matter-of-fact manner.

"They tend to be." Celeste said looking forward into the sun.

_**I don't wanna live like my mother  
I don't wanna let fear rule my life  
**_

The day dragged on as the pair, mother and child, made there way to the place that their head made the way safe for them from an horizon distance. Amberlee was growing to look more or less like her mother although she was half-human. Even with all the exposure to the sun she was still quite fair, her hair was sable much like her mother's…the only way you could tell she wasn't elven was her father's blue eyes although his were much darker than her's.

"Momma," Amberlee asked, "Where did I come from?"

"You came from inside of me…"

"Like a birdie from an egg."

"Yes, much like that." Her mother said with a small amount of contempt in her voice from her child's need for instinctually questioning.

"Do you have any more?"

"No." Her mother said bluntly.

"Why not?" Amberlee said she watched a butterfly passed by and land on her mother's shoulder.

"I just don't…" she said as she tried to nudge the winged bug away.

"Do you wanna another kid like me?" Amberlee asked.

_Not really. _"Not at this time in my life…I think…I think it was a mistake even having you…you shouldn't have to endure all this." She said as she pulled the wings of the butterfly but he was unwilling to let her leather armor go.

"…I'm having fun. I think my baby brother would like it her in Gayora with me."

"We're not staying here long." Her mother said still trying to get the butterfly off.

"But…"Amberlee said as she started to whimper.

"Do not start," her mother spat out and slapped the bug into pieces on her armor before she could think twice about it.

"Why do I always have to leave?" Amberlee said as she noticed that her father motioning for them that he had found were they'd be exploring.

"Because the longer a person stays somewhere the more things there are to confine her." She said looking into the sky.

_**And I don't wanna live like my father  
I don't wanna give up before I die  
**_

A friendly parental ritual happened as they entered the cave…Amberlee was traded to her father for a moment of silence.

"Dad," Amberlee prepared to explain everything she learned from her mother, "Dragon fight goods when babies are born from eggs because WE's everyone and I'm not gettin' a little brother…at least not anytime soon…that's what momma says."

"I see you had a nice long talk with her, huh precious." He said with a small grin on his face.

"Yep."

"Well do you know what we are looking for?" He asked as he touched his daughter's shoulder.

"I don't know…dragon eggs?" She said with an owlish look on her face in the dim light of the cave.

"No dear," he chuckled deep and ardent, "We are searching for a sword…"

"A sword?" She interrupted.

"Yes precious, a magical sword…one that was believed to have killed a very strong dragon…it is said to be unbreakable." He said as he slowly moved in the dark.

"Rock." Amberlee said as she played with the cave wall's bends and breaks.

"Huh," he said as he tripped over a stone and fall flat on his face, "Oh… a rock is in front of me."

"Yep." Amberlee said as he got up, "Do you see that?" Amberlee asked as she pointed in front of her.

"No…I don't have the same kind of eye like you do, remember?" He said rubbing the crown of her head, "What is it?"

"Bones. Big, big bones." Amberlee said as she ran forward to the pile.

"Celamn…I think you should come see this." Her mother's voice rang out.**_  
_**

**_He worked so hard his bones are breaking  
He wore them down but long ago he lost the feeling  
His good intentions leave me shaking, show me how  
I don't ever want to end up like he did  
And... _**

"It's the sword," Celeste said as she touched it, "It's in the middle of the dragon…in the heart of the beast just like it was told to us as kids." Celeste voice carried emotions that they seldom did lately…joy and happiness.

"Well I'll be da…" Celamn said.

"Watch your language, Celamn," Celeste warned. "And while you are at it get the sword out." He spat on his palms as he prepared to get a solid grip on the hilt. He pulled with all his might but the sword didn't budge an inch. "Are you becoming weak in your old age?" Celeste teased as she pushed him out of the way. She readied herself and made an attempt to retrieve the sword but after a few grunts then falling on her behind she said, "It does not want to budge."

"Can I try?" Amberlee asked.

"No." Celamn said.

"NO!" Celeste added half a moment later. But Amberlee had already had her hands on the sword.

She pulled up, "It's moving," she cried out as the sword ease out of it's former home. "I did it. I did it." Amberlee said as she danced around with the weapon in her hands.

Celamn ducked an errant swing of the blade and said, "Precious…sweetie. I think you should give that to me." He held out his hand as Amberlee tried to put the sword in his hand…with the blade end.

"Here ya go." She said as he pulled his hand back.

"Not like that…are trying to cut my hand off…" then he felt it…they all felt it, the cave began to tremor. At first they believed the cave was imploding…

"Daddy!" Amberlee shouted as she fell to the ground. Then they all saw it in its glory.

A dragon…not just anything of dragon…a full-grown, flame-toothed, hot-tempered dragon that didn't seem please to have company. The bones were gone…all of them.

"Damn it…" shouted Celamn as he picked his daughter up, "It must have reawakened without the sword in it." He quickly turned and blindly sprinted with his wife by his side to the exit.

"Go fight it!" Celeste shouted as they ran through the exit.

"What! Do I look crazy?"

"You'd rather all of us die…just give your family a chance to retreat…" Celeste pleaded.

"I told you I should have come alone…"

"Stop putting the damn blame on me…your ignorance caused all of this…" Cleeste spat as she pulled Amberlee from his arms.  
"STOP IT!" Screamed Amberlee over her parent's words, "I wanna go home." Although she didn't know what or where home was…she felt she needed to go there.

Celamn looked his daughter over, he saw the fear in her eyes…he had to do this for her, "Run, precious, run as fast as you can," and with those words he stood there to confront the incoming monster.

_**I don't wanna live like my mother  
I don't wanna let fear rule my life  
And I don't wanna live like my father  
I don't wanna give up before I die  
**_

She ran as fast her long little legs let her with her new treasure in her hand. She seemed as if she had held a sword her whole life although she had never touched one before this day. She flew past her mother as they made their way across the valley quicker than the sun.

"Amberlee, there's a bridge that leads to a forest…if we get to it…the dragon will not be able to find us easily."

"Daddy's gonna kill the dragon." She said with determined eyes.

"No…but let's hope he does."

_**  
When I have kids  
I won't put any chains on their wrists, I won't  
I'll tell them this  
There's nothing in this world that you can't be if you want it enough**_

The bridge was as trustworthy as a halfling in a bank vault but it was their only hope, they ran across quickly and effortless…until Amberlee slipped between a pair of broken planks. Her blade wedged between the plank and she dangled holding on tightly to the edge of her sword.

"Momma!" she screamed.

"Get the HELL up…" she screamed at the end of the bridge.

"…I…can't…" Amberlee said she tried to pull herself up the blade.

"Get up or…or I'll leave…" the words pierce the once innocence heart of the girl.

"…momma…" but she was gone, Amberlee was left to die staring into the dark abyss below her and the glare of her hilt.

**_I don't wanna live like my mother  
I don't wanna let fear rule my life  
And I don't wanna live like my father  
I don't wanna give up before I die  
_**

Celamn fight hard and though he'd have her scars and bruises than he'd ever wish to have from the dragon…his ability to over the undead dragon won and he used the dragon to rekill himself. He slowly made his way west…where the sun sets…and crossed the bridge slowly until he stepped on something unusual, his only daughter's fingers.

Her eyes were closed, wet and every muscle excluding her hand was a still. She was fighting to pull herself up.

"Amberlee," he said he pulled her up slowly because of the weight the blade in his **hand**. He used every ounce of strength to get her up.

"Precious," he spoke gently as she laid her down in the dry grass just across the bridge.

"…Dad…" she coughed, "Am I dead?"

He chuckled, "No precious, we were close but we're still far from it. Where's your mother?"

Amberlee held her lower lip to keep from saying what was one her mind.  
"Did she go across before you… did she see you fall?"

"…She saw…" Amberlee said with no emotion.

"What did she do?" He asked as he ran his exhausted fingers through her sweaty black hair.

"She did what she always does…nothin'." There was deadly venom in her voice, "I hope she's dead."

"You don't mean that…"  
"I hope she's DEAD!" She said with such thunder the birds and insects all around tried to escape the sonic blast.

"Who's dead," Celeste said as calm as ever.

"Ah…" Celamn looked at his wife, then his daughter, and back at his wife, "I guess no one."

"I hate you," Amberlee said as she grabbed her sword and started to walk off.

"I did that for your own good Amber, to make you stronger." Celeste said.

"My name is Amberlee. That's the name that my dad gave me, that's what you'll call me…Cel." Amberlee spat.

"You have a right to be angry but your attitude better change, or…" Celeste said as Ambelree stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Or what…you'll kill me." She said and quickly swung her sword, creating a sudden windblast that knocked her mother over, "You're just afraid I'll be greater than you."

Amberlee's eyes were filled with tears… angry tears as her father grabbed her and embrace her tightly and he said, "Let's put all this behind us."

"That's an excellent idea." Celeste said with a counterfeit smile as she slowly stood up.

"I'll never forget this day…as long as I live… I never forgive you," Amberlee said staring into her mother's emotionless eyes.

_  
**I don't wanna live like my mother  
I don't wanna let fear rule my life  
I don't wanna live like my father  
I don't wanna give up before I die****

* * *

**_

**AN**- It's me again. I think I'll take some of Tash's advice and rewrite Angels and Insects...after finishing this I see a lot of things I can include. And just for the record the ending of Angels and Insects was bad because I write bad endings...I enjoyed writing that story (It took me two days to write it) but I think I could write it much more in depth. That's it...Laterz. 


End file.
